Hull FC were woeful in defeat at York.
Hull FC half-back Jake Arthur.
Hull FC had a stinking second-half performance to rue on a stinking hot night in North Yorkshire, with York Knights completing a Super League double over the Black and Whites with a 20-16 victory on Thursday night.
Winners at the MKM Stadium back in February, York scored 12 unanswered points after the break to take the game and the FC double, with Hull’s poor discipline getting the better of them in what was a below-par and, at times, pathetic display.
Hull were their own worst enemy, constantly playing an uphill battle and conceding penalty after penalty. And when York sniffed a bit of blood, they struck, with Denive Balmforth, deemed not good enough for the side this season, scoring a try against his parent club on the way to a fine victory.
For York, that’s now three wins on the bounce, with Hull confined to a 13th defeat of the Super League season and their eighth from their last nine games. Truth be told, the season is fizzling out with a whimper, and while there are some workmanlike attributes within the side, ultimately, the quality that’s needed is just not there to win games at this level.
Turning into another torrid year, the defeat sees Hull drop to 11th in the Super League table, with their attack unable to sustain enough moments of quality to trouble York. In truth, Hull only played for a 20-minute spell before half-time. For the other hour or so’s play, they were woeful and got what they deserved: nothing.
They looked disjointed in attack and just don’t click enough to pose a threat. They’re just not doing enough for long enough periods, not that it takes anything away from York, who now have six league wins this season and looked good value in front of a passionate home crowd.
In a first competitive visit to the LNER Community Stadium, and the first with fans in, Andy Last made three changes to his side, with new permanent signing Ethan O’Neill returning from injury and taking his place. The Aussie was joined by Harvey Barron and Yusuf Aydin – the latter back from a six-game suspension.
However, despite Hull outlining their desire to start fast and on point, it was York who hit the front early on, scoring through David Nofoaluma. They were quicker out of the blocks and took a deserved lead, extending it just before the 20-minute mark as Jon Bennison reacted quickest to a bouncing ball after a messy last tackle play.
That put York 8-0 to the good – Bennison missing both conversions – but Hull soon stepped it up a gear. They began to run with more venom and had more intent about their play – a big focus from Last pre-match.
The message finally stuck after the first drink’s break, with Hull’s captain, Aidan Sezer, running hard and direct off Amir Bourouh at dummy half. The veteran half-back broke the Knights line at ease and had enough pace and agility to round the cover defence to score a fine individual try.
Hull then hit the front through Tom Briscoe, with the winger crashing over the line after quick hands from the right edge. A third try then followed for Joe Batchelor, who took Hugo Salabio’s offload to score – with the Frenchman continuing a fair stint in the Hull team in recent weeks with hard running and firm aggression.
A first half of two halves, the away side took a 16-8 lead into the break, but they were pegged back in the second half as Balmforth beat the scrambling defence to score under the posts.
York continued to look a threat in attack and they soon clawed the game level, with Bennison landing a penalty goal after a Knights chaser was taken off the ball on a kick.
The Knights, much the better team in the second half, continued to chance their arm, and they got their reward through Nikau Williams, who grounded Paul McShane’s kick to score. That put the home side back in front and they almost extended their lead, only for the video ref to rule out a try after a knock-on in the act of scoring.
Herman Ese’ese then went for the line in a desperate attempt to salvage the game, but despite the prop’s ball-carrying arm hitting the ground, he couldn’t resist himself, and a double movement was ruled.
The late drama then extended into the final minute or so as York coughed up possession, but Hull returned the favour almost instantly. That summed up the night – and with that, another defeat in a season that has been another to forget.
Teams
York Starting XIII: 1. Toa Mata’afa; 23. Jon Bennison, 5. Scott Geleano, 26. Nikau Williams, 46. David Nofoaluma; 37. Cody Hunter, 9. Paul McShane; 8. Jack Martin, 48. Tom Inman, 15. Xavier Va’a; 21. Kieran Buchanan, 20. Oli Field; 13. Jordan Thompson.
Interchange: 14. Denive Balmforth, 10. Paul Vaughan, 27. Matty Foster, 6. Mafoa’aeata Hingano. 18th Man: 24. Will Dagger
Hull Starting XIII: 24. Logan Moy; 2. Harvey Barron, 19. Tom Briscoe, 4. Zak Hardaker, 5. Lewis Martin; 6. Jake Arthur, 7. Aidan Sezer; 8. Herman Ese’ese, 9. Amir Bourouh, 10. Harvie Hill; 11. Joe Batchelor, 39. Ethan O’Neill; 15. James Bell.
Interchange: 14. Cade Cust, 20. Yusuf Aydin, 26. Hugo Salabio, 36. Lennon Clark. 18th Player: 25. Matty Laidlaw
Scorers
York Tries: Nofoaluma, Bennison, Balmforth, Williams. Goals: Bennison 2/5
Hull Tries: Sezer, Briscoe, Batchelor. Goals: Hardaker 2/3
Scoring System: 4-0, 8-0, 8-6, 8-10, 8-16, HT, 14-16, 16-16, 20-16, FT
Referee: Tara Jones
Attendance: Not Given